Restraint monitoring system for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle includes a rail-mounted component and a restraint monitoring system. The rail-mounted component can include one or more restraints. The restraint monitoring system includes a restraint control module, an encoder-decoder module, and a rail-mounted component control module. The rail-mounted component control module can include a restraint deployment loop and a restraint diagnostic loop. The restraint deployment loop can include a deployment signal amplifier. The restraint diagnostic loop can include a diagnostic signal amplifier. In examples that include both the deployment signal amplifier and the diagnostic signal amplifier, the deployment signal amplifier and the diagnostic signal amplifier may be wired in parallel.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a restraint monitoringsystem. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a restraintmonitoring system for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles are often provided with restraints. However, with the emergenceof autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, additional solutions formonitoring the restraints in various configurations that may be possiblewithin the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles may be beneficial.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicleincludes a rail-mounted component and a restraint monitoring system. Therail-mounted component can include one or more restraints. The restraintmonitoring system includes a restraint control module, anencoder-decoder module, and a rail-mounted component control module. Therail-mounted component control module includes a restraint deploymentloop and a restraint diagnostic loop. The restraint deployment loopincludes a deployment signal amplifier. The restraint diagnostic loopincludes a diagnostic signal amplifier. The deployment signal amplifierand the diagnostic signal amplifier can be wired in parallel.

Embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure can includeany one or a combination of the following features:

-   -   the encoder-decoder module includes a feed amplifier and a        return amplifier;    -   the encoder-decoder module includes an encoder-decoder module        microcontroller,    -   the encoder-decoder module microcontroller communicates        diagnostic status to the return amplifier,    -   the return amplifier outputs a signal that adjusts a resistance        in a potentiometer when a diagnostic issue is indicated by the        encoder-decoder module microcontroller,    -   the resistance adjustment in the potentiometer is read by the        restraint control module, wherein the restraint control module        communicates the diagnostic issue to a user through a high-speed        CAN bus;    -   the encoder-decoder module microcontroller receives restraint        deployment signals from the restraint control module and        communicates the restraint deployment signals to the        rail-mounted component control module;    -   the restraint deployment signal communicated to the rail-mounted        component control module is received by the deployment signal        amplifier of the rail-mounted component control module;    -   the deployment signal amplifier communicates the restraint        deployment signal to a rail-mounted component control module        microcontroller;    -   the rail-mounted component control module microcontroller        references an occupancy sensor to determine if the rail-mounted        component is occupied;    -   upon determination by the rail-mounted component control module        microcontroller that the rail-mounted component is occupied and        the restraint deployment signal has been received, the        rail-mounted component control module microcontroller        communicates the restraint deployment signal to the one or more        restraints;    -   the restraint deployment loop and the restraint diagnostic loop        are provided with a common return path;    -   the common output path of the restraint deployment loop and the        restraint diagnostic loop is coupled to the encoder-decoder        module microcontroller;    -   the encoder-decoder module and the rail-mounted component        control module are each positioned downstream of the restraint        control module and upstream of the one or more restraints;    -   a rail assembly that receives the rail-mounted component such        that the rail-mounted component is slidably coupled with the        rail assembly; and    -   the encoder-decoder module and the rail-mounted component        control module wirelessly communicate data signals.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicleincludes a rail-mounted component and a restraint-monitoring system. Therail-mounted component includes one or more restraints. The restraintmonitoring system includes a restraint control module, anencoder-decoder module, and a rail-mounted component control module. Theencoder-decoder module includes a feed amplifier, a return amplifier,and an encoder-decoder module microcontroller. The encoder-decodermodule microcontroller communicates diagnostic status to the returnamplifier. The return amplifier outputs a signal that adjusts aresistance in a potentiometer when a diagnostic issue is indicated bythe encoder-decoder module microcontroller. The resistance adjustment inthe potentiometer is read by the restraint control module. The restraintcontrol module communicates the diagnostic issue to a user. Therail-mounted component control module includes a restraint deploymentloop and a restraint diagnostic loop. The restraint deployment loopincludes a deployment signal amplifier. The restraint diagnostic loopincludes a diagnostic signal amplifier. The deployment signal amplifierand the diagnostic signal amplifier are wired in parallel.

Embodiments of the second aspect of the present disclosure can includeany one or a combination of the following features:

-   -   the restraint control module receives an impact signal from one        or more impact sensors, wherein the restraint control module        communicates a restraint deployment signal to the        encoder-decoder module microcontroller as a result of receiving        the impact signal, and wherein the encoder-decoder module        microcontroller communicates the restraint deployment signal to        the deployment signal amplifier of the rail-mounted component        control module;    -   the deployment signal amplifier communicates the restraint        deployment signal to a rail-mounted component control module        microcontroller and    -   the rail-mounted component control module microcontroller        references an occupancy sensor to determine if the rail-mounted        component is occupied, wherein upon determination by the        rail-mounted component control module microcontroller that the        rail-mounted component is occupied and the restraint deployment        signal has been received, the rail-mounted component control        module microcontroller communicates the restraint deployment        signal to the one or more restraints.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present disclosurewill be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art uponstudying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a cabin of a vehicle, illustratinga configuration of seating assemblies, according to one example;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the cabin of the vehicle,illustrating a configuration of the seating assemblies, according toanother example;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the cabin of the vehicle,illustrating a configuration of the seating assemblies, according to oneexample;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the cabin of the vehicle,illustrating a configuration of the seating assemblies and storageunits, according to one example;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the cabin of the vehicle,illustrating a configuration of the seating assemblies and the storageunits, according to another example;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the cabin of the vehicle,illustrating a configuration of the seating assemblies, according to oneexample;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the cabin of the vehicle, illustrating trackassemblies that the rail-mounted components couple to, according to oneexample;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the cabin of the vehicle, takenalong line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7 , illustrating various components of thetrack assembly and the vehicle, according to one example;

FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of the track assembly, illustratingvarious components of the track assembly, according to one example;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the track assembly, taken alongline X-X of FIG. 9 , illustrating an engagement between a rail assembly,a carriage assembly, and a tractor assembly, according to one example;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the track assembly, taken alongline X-X of FIG. 9 , illustrating a retention structure in an at leastpartially-lowered position, according to one example;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the track assembly, taken alongline X-X of FIG. 9 , illustrating the engagement between the railassembly, the carriage assembly, and the tractor assembly, according toanother example;

FIG. 13 is a side perspective view of the rail assembly, illustrating anengagement between a carriage data conductor and a carriage data brushassembly, an engagement between a tractor power conductor and a tractorpower brush assembly, and an engagement between a tractor data conductorand a tractor data brush assembly, according to one example;

FIG. 14 is a side perspective view of the track assembly, illustratingvarious components of the track assembly, according to another example;

FIG. 15 is an end-on or front view of the track assembly, illustratingthe engagement between various components of the track assembly,according to one example;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the track assembly, illustrating a carriagestructure passing through the retention structure, according to oneexample;

FIG. 17 is an expanded view of the track assembly, taken at section XVIIof FIG. 12 , illustrating the engagement between conductive members andbrushes, according to one example;

FIG. 18 is a side perspective view of the tractor assembly, illustratingcomponents of the tractor assembly, according to one example; and

FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating various components of arestraint monitoring system, according to one example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the concepts as oriented in FIG. 1 . However, itis to be understood that the concepts may assume various alternativeorientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It isalso to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the followingspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations ofmethod steps and apparatus components related to a restraint monitoringsystem. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have beenrepresented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings,showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understandingthe embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure thedisclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent likeelements.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or moreitems, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself,or any combination of two or more of the listed items, can be employed.For example, if a composition is described as containing components A,B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; Aand B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; orA, B, and C in combination.

In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top andbottom, and the like, are used solely to distinguish one entity oraction from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities oractions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, withoutmore constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element.

As used herein, the term “about” means that amounts, sizes,formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics arenot and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger orsmaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, roundingoff, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those ofskill in the art. When the term “about” is used in describing a value oran end-point of a range, the disclosure should be understood to includethe specific value or end-point referred to. Whether or not a numericalvalue or end-point of a range in the specification recites “about,” thenumerical value or end-point of a range is intended to include twoembodiments: one modified by “about,” and one not modified by “about.”It will be further understood that the end-points of each of the rangesare significant both in relation to the other end-point, andindependently of the other end-point.

The terms “substantial,” “substantially,” and variations thereof as usedherein are intended to note that a described feature is equal orapproximately equal to a value or description. For example, a“substantially planar” surface is intended to denote a surface that isplanar or approximately planar. Moreover, “substantially” is intended todenote that two values are equal or approximately equal. In someembodiments, “substantially” may denote values within about 10% of eachother, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of eachother.

As used herein the terms “the,” “a,” or “an,” mean “at least one,” andshould not be limited to “only one” unless explicitly indicated to thecontrary. Thus, for example, reference to “a component” includesembodiments having two or more such components unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise.

Referring to FIGS. 1-19 , reference numeral 30 generally designates avehicle. The vehicle 30 may be a motor vehicle, a land vehicle, an airvehicle, and/or a water vehicle. The vehicle 30 includes one or morerail-mounted components 34 and a restraint monitoring system 38. One ormore of the one or more rail-mounted components 34 can be provided withone or more restraints 42. In various examples, the restraints 42 can beseatbelts, airbags, tethers, or any other structure that restrictsmovement of a cargo item or a passenger. The restraint monitoring system38 includes a restraint control module 46, an encoder-decoder module 50,and a rail-mounted component control module 54. The encoder-decodermodule 50 can include a feed amplifier 58, a return amplifier 62, and anencoder-decoder module microcontroller 66. In various examples, theencoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 can communicate diagnosticstatus of one or more of the one or more restraints 42 to the returnamplifier 62. The return amplifier 62 can output a signal that adjusts aresistance in a potentiometer 70 when a diagnostic issue is indicated bythe encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66. The resistance adjustmentin the potentiometer 70 can be read by the restraint control module 46.The restraint control module 46 can communicate the diagnostic issue toa user of the vehicle 30. The rail-mounted component control module 54can include a restraint deployment loop 74 and a restraint diagnosticloop 78. In various examples, the restraint deployment loop 74 includesa deployment signal amplifier 82. In some examples, the restraintdiagnostic loop 78 includes a diagnostic signal amplifier 86. Inexamples that employ both the deployment signal amplifier 82 and thediagnostic signal amplifier 86, the deployment signal amplifier 82 andthe diagnostic signal amplifier 86 can be wired in parallel.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3 , a cabin 90 of the vehicle 30 can beprovided with one or more seating assemblies 94. The seating assemblies94 can be positioned at various locations along rail assemblies 98within the cabin 90. The seating assemblies 94 are provided with a seat102, a seatback 106, and/or a headrest 110. In some examples, the seat102 and the seatback 106 can be pivotably coupled to one another by wayof a carrier 114. In some examples, the carrier 114 may be directlycoupled to the rail assemblies 98 (e.g., by anchors). Alternatively, invarious examples, the carrier 114 may be coupled to the rail assemblies98 indirectly (e.g., by a carriage portion 118). The carriage portion118 can be a housing for a carriage assembly 122 (see FIG. 10 ). Invarious examples, the carriage assembly 122 can be coupled to thecarriage portion 118 by a carriage structure 126. In some examples, theseating assemblies 94 that are positioned at a rearward most locationwithin the cabin 90 may be provided with an additional platform 130 thatis directly coupled to either the carrier 114 or the carriage portion118. The platform 130 can provide the rearward most seating assemblies94 with additional vertical height relative to the remaining seatingassemblies 94 to allow occupants of the rearward most seating assemblies94 a better vantage point and more interesting view than if the seatingassemblies 94 were all at about the same height. The platform 130, insome examples, may couple a plurality of the seating assemblies 94together. For example, the platform 130 may provide a common riser ordais between two adjacent seating assemblies 94. The seating assemblies94 can be positioned in a conventional first row, second row, and/orthird row configuration as shown in FIG. 1 . Alternatively, the seatingassemblies 94 can be positioned in an unconventional manner, such as theconfigurations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . For example, one or more of theseating assemblies 94 may be placed in a stored position, such as thosepictured in a forward most row in FIGS. 2 and 3 . When in the storedposition, the seating assemblies 94 may be stored in a number ofpositions and/or locations. For example, the seating assemblies 94 maybe forward-dumped such that the seatback 106 is generally horizontal andgenerally parallel with the seat 102 by pivoting the seatback 106forward about a pivot point 134 of the carrier 114. When in the storedposition, the seating assemblies 94 may be stored beneath a forwardconsole 138 that is positioned proximate a front 142 of the vehicle 30.The seating assemblies 94 may be provided with a swivel functionalitythat allows the seating assemblies 94 to pivot about a vertical axisrelative to a floor 146 of the vehicle 30. For example, the carrier 114may be coupled to the floor 146 by a swivel assembly that permitspivotable motion of the seating assembly 94 about a vertical axis whilemaintaining engagement of the seating assembly 94 with the railassemblies 98. In some examples, where the carriage portion 118 isemployed, the carrier 114 and the carriage portion 118 may be coupled toone another in a manner that permits the pivotable motion of the seatingassembly 94 about the vertical axis while maintaining the engagement ofthe seating assembly 94 with the rail assemblies 98. For example, thecarriage portion 118 may remain coupled to one or more of the railassemblies 98 and rotationally stationary relative to the railassemblies 98 while the carrier 114 and the seating assembly 94 pivot orrotate about the vertical axis relative to the rail assemblies 98. Inexamples where the platform 130 is employed, the platform 130 may remaincoupled to the rail assemblies 98 and rotationally stationary relativeto the rail assemblies 98 while the seating assembly 94, the carrier114, and/or the carriage portion 118 are capable of pivoting or rotatingabout the vertical axis relative to the rail assemblies 98. In variousexamples, a central console 150 may be provided in a location between atleast some of the seating assemblies 94 that are laterally adjacent toone another. The central console 150 may generally extend along alongitudinal axis, or travel axis, of the vehicle 30. The centralconsole 150 can be provided with a number of functionalities, such asstoring of cargo items 154 (e.g., luggage), providing electricalconnections for electrical devices, providing data connections forinteraction with the vehicle 30, and/or other convenience and comfortfunctionalities. The configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 may bereferred to as passenger arrangements where the vehicle 30 is primarilybeing used to transport passengers and their accompanying cargo items.The configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 are exemplary in nature andare not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 4-6 , a number of exemplary configurations areillustrated where the vehicle 30 is primarily utilized for cargotransport. In some cargo transport examples, such as that shown in FIG.4 , one or more of the seating assemblies 94 may remain available foroccupants that are traveling with the cargo items (e.g., vehicleoperators, vehicle monitors, security personnel, etc.). The features andfunctionalities described above for the cabin 90 of the vehicle 30, theseating assemblies 94, the carriers 114, the carriage portions 118, andthe platform 130 can be provided in whole or in part with the examplesdepicted in FIGS. 4-6 without departing from the concepts disclosedherein, however, for the sake of brevity the features andfunctionalities will not be repeated. In some cargo transportconfigurations, such as that depicted in FIG. 4 , unused seatingassemblies 94 may be removed from the cabin 90 of the vehicle 30 to makeroom for cargo items to be stored within the cabin 90 while maintainingone or more of the seating assemblies 94 as available for occupants. Thecargo items may be stored in storage units 158 that are placed withinthe cabin 90. The storage units 158 may engage with the rail assemblies98 such that the storage units 158 are prevented from unintentionalmotion during maneuvering of the vehicle 30. The storage units 158 mayalso receive power from the rail assemblies 98 and/or communicate databetween the storage units 158 and the vehicle 30 by way of one or moretransceivers. The power and/or data communication provided to thestorage units 158 may be used for temperature control of one or morestorage compartments 162 within the storage units 158, for lighting thestorage compartments 162, for locking/unlocking the storage compartments162, for actuating a door of the storage compartments 162, for actuatingthe storage units 158 along the rail assemblies 98, and/or formonitoring contents of the storage compartments 162 (e.g., sensors,imagers, etc.). The storage compartments 162 may be provided with latchassemblies 166 that can be actuated manually or automatically to provideaccess to an interior of the storage compartments 162. The storagecompartments 162 can be accessed from a side 170 or a rear 174 of thevehicle 30. Storage units 158 that are accessible from the rear 174 ofthe vehicle 30 may be positioned on a rear surface 178 of rearward mostseating assemblies 94 when the rearward most seating assemblies 94 areplaced in a stowed or fold-flat position (see FIG. 6 ). When storageunits 158 are placed on the rear surfaces 178 of the rearward mostseating assemblies 94, these storage units 158 may not be secured to thevehicle 30 by way of the rail assemblies 98. Alternatively, the storageunits 158 that are placed on the rear surfaces 178 of the rearward mostseating assemblies 94 may be secured to the vehicle 30 by interactionwith various components of the cabin 90 of the vehicle 30. For example,the storage units 158 that are placed on the rear surfaces 178 of therearward most seating assemblies 94 may be secured to the vehicle 30 byinteracting with the storage units 158 that are secured to the railassemblies 98, by tethering or anchoring to tie downs 182 within a cargoarea 186 of the cabin 90, and/or by other suitable approaches.

With specific reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the seating assemblies 94 mayadditionally or alternatively be capable of being stored in a stackedfashion. The seating assemblies 94 may be pivotably coupled to thecarriers 114 in a manner that allows the seatback 106 to be placed in aforward-dumped position over the seat 102 (see FIGS. 2 and 3 ) and/orthe seat 102 may be pivoted upward toward the seatback 106 in astadium-seating manner such that the seat 102 is generally vertical andgenerally parallel to the seatback 106. Once in a stowed-and-stackedposition depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cargo area 186 of the cabin 90of the vehicle 30 can be increased while maintaining the ability toquickly transition the vehicle 30 back to a primarily passengertransport configuration once cargo items have been delivered or removed.To assume the stowed-and-stacked position the seat 102 of the seatingassembly 94 is pivoted upward toward the seatback 106 about the pivotpoint 134 of the carrier 114. Then, the seating assembly 94 can beactuated to an end (e.g., the front 142 or the rear 174) of the vehicle30 along the rail assemblies 98 such that the seating assemblies 94 mayoccupy a substantially smaller footprint or surface area than if theseating assemblies 94 were stored in an alternative manner. In someexamples, the seating assemblies 94 may be provided with a storage area190 between an underside of the seat 102 and the carrier 114. Thestorage area 190 may be provided as a pass-through or open storage area.The storage area 190 may be utilized by occupants of the seatingassemblies 94 to store cargo items. In various examples, including thosewhere the seating assemblies are placed in the stowed-and-stackedposition, the storage areas 190 may be aligned in tandem or in-lineseating assemblies 94 such that long cargo items (e.g., wood beams) maybe stored and supported along their length in a manner that also retainsthe long cargo items within a limited lateral region. In such anexample, the long cargo items can be prevented from affecting passengersor other cargo items during maneuvers of the vehicle 30.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , the vehicle 30 can be provided with aplurality of the rail-mounted components 34. In examples, therail-mounted components 34 may be, but are not limited to, seatingassemblies 94, floor consoles, center consoles, storage units 158 thatinclude multiple storage compartments 162, and the like. In variousexamples, the rail-mounted component 34 can removably couple with therail assembly 98 and/or the carriage assembly 122. For example, therail-mounted component 34 can removably couple with the carriagestructure 126 (FIG. 3 ) such that actuation of the carriage structure126 along the rail assembly 98 results in corresponding actuation of theassociated rail-mounted component 34. In some examples, the rail-mountedcomponent(s) 34 can be coupled to more than one of the carriagestructures 126 such that coordinated actuation of the plurality ofcarriage structures 126 results in corresponding actuation of theassociated rail-mounted component(s) 34. The vehicle 30 can be providedwith one or more track assemblies 194. A pair of track assemblies 194may be referred to as a track plank 196. The track assemblies 194 and/orthe track planks 196 can be arranged along longitudinal, lateral, and/orangular (e.g., diagonal) directions within the cabin 90. In the depictedexample, the track planks 196 are aligned in a longitudinal directionwithin the cabin 90 and the track planks 196 are arranged withcenterlines 198 that are parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle30.

Referring to FIGS. 8-16 , the track assembly 194 can be coupled to aportion of the cabin 90. In various examples, the track assembly 194 caninclude a retention structure 202, the carriage structure 126, and therail assembly 98. The carriage structure 126 may extend through theretention structure 202. The rail assembly 98 can receive the retentionstructure 202 and the carriage structure 126 such that the retentionstructure 202 and the carriage structure 126 slidably couple with therail assembly 98. The retention structure 202 and the carriage structure126 can together define the carriage assembly 122. The carriage assembly122 can further include the carriage portion 118. The rail assembly 98defines an interior aperture 206. The interior aperture 206 may beinaccessible from a top side 210, a first lateral side 214, and a secondlateral side 218 of the rail assembly 98. A first external channel 222may be defined by the first lateral side 214 of the rail assembly 98. Acarriage power conductor 226 can be received within the first externalchannel 222. A second external channel 230 may be defined by the secondlateral side 218 of the rail assembly 98. A carriage data conductor 234can be received within the second external channel 230. In variousexamples, a first interior channel 238 may be defined by the firstlateral side 214 of the rail assembly 98. Alternatively, the firstinterior channel 238 may be defined by the top side 210 or a bottom side242 of the rail assembly 98. In some examples, the first interiorchannel 238 may be angularly displaced relative to the top side 210, thefirst lateral side 214, the second lateral side 218, and/or the bottomside 242 (see FIGS. 8 and 14-15 ). Accordingly, it is contemplated thatthe first interior channel 238 may be defined by more than one of thetop side 210, the first lateral side 214, the second lateral side 218,and the bottom side 242 of the rail assembly 98. A tractor powerconductor 246 can be received within the first interior channel 238. Invarious examples, a second interior channel 250 may be defined by thesecond lateral side 218 of the rail assembly 98. As with the firstinterior channel 238, alternative examples may provide the secondinterior channel 250 as defined by the top side 210 or the bottom side242 of the rail assembly 98. In some examples, the second interiorchannel 250 may be angularly displaced relative to the top side 210, thefirst lateral side 214, the second lateral side 218, and/or the bottomside 242 (see FIGS. 8 and 14-15 ). Accordingly, it is contemplated thatthe second interior channel 250 may be defined by more than one of thetop side 210, the first lateral side 214, the second lateral side 218,and the bottom side 242 of the rail assembly 98. It is furthercontemplated that the first interior channel 238 and the second interiorchannel 250 may be defined by a single side (e.g., the top side 210, thefirst lateral side 214, the second lateral side 218, or the bottom side242) of the rail assembly 98 without departing from the conceptsdisclosed herein. The first and second interior channels 238, 250 areeach positioned within the interior aperture 206 of the rail assembly98. A tractor data connector 254 can be received within the secondinterior channel 250. A tractor assembly 258 can movably couple with therail assembly 98 within the interior aperture 206.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-16 , the top side 210 and the bottom side 242are positioned opposite one another on the rail assembly 98. Similarly,the first and second lateral sides 214, 218 are positioned opposite oneanother. While described and depicted as top and bottom sides 210, 242relative to their orientation in FIGS. 8-16 , the present disclosure isnot so limited. The bottom side 242 may alternatively be referred to asa vehicle-mounting side. Said another way, the bottom side 242 candirectly abut a portion of the vehicle 30 upon which the track assembly194 is mounted. Accordingly, in examples where the track assembly 194 ismounted to a floor of the cabin 90 of the vehicle 30, the bottom side242 can be oriented vertically below the top side 210. Similarly, inexamples where the track assembly 194 is mounted to a ceiling or roof ofthe cabin 90 of the vehicle 30, the bottom side 242 can be orientedvertically above the top side 210 as the bottom side 242 is mounted tothe vehicle 30. It is contemplated that the bottom side 242, orvehicle-mounting side, may be coupled to sides of the vehicle 30 ratherthan to the floor or the ceiling of the vehicle 30. Accordingly, in suchexamples, the top and bottom sides 210, 242 may be oriented as lateralsides. While these various orientations and arrangements of the trackassembly 194 within the cabin 90 of the vehicle 30 are contemplated andin keeping with the concepts disclosed herein, for the sake of brevityand clarity, the track assembly 194 is primarily discussed withreference to the orientation of the track assembly 194 when the trackassembly 194 is coupled to the floor of the cabin 90.

Referring again to FIGS. 8-16 , the bottom side 242 can be provided withone or more flanges 262 that extend radially outward from a body 266 ofthe rail assembly 98. The flanges 262 can provide lateral stability tothe rail assembly 98. For example, the flanges 262 can provide lateralstability to the rail assembly 98 when forces are applied to the railassembly 98 (e.g., by the retention structure 202 and/or the carriagestructure 126) during normal operation and/or in the event of an impact(e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle and/or cargo impacting a rail-mountedcomponent 34). The flanges 262 can provide lateral stability in adirection that is angularly offset from the direction of travel alongthe rail assembly 98 (e.g., perpendicular to a direction of travel alongthe rail assembly 98). Additionally, in some examples, the flanges 262can be utilized as a coupling portion that receives one or morefasteners 270 that secure the rail assembly 98 to the vehicle 30 (seeFIGS. 12-13 ). In examples that do not utilize the flanges 262 forreceiving fasteners 270 to secure the rail assembly 98 to the vehicle30, the bottom side 242 of the rail assembly 98 can define a couplingslot 274. The coupling slot 274 can receive anchors 278 that retain therail assembly 98 to a portion of the vehicle 30. Additionally oralternatively, the anchors 278 can retain a drive rack 282 to the railassembly 98. Accordingly, the anchors 278 can extend through a portionof the bottom side 242 into the interior aperture 206 such that theanchors 278 can engage with the drive rack 282 (e.g., threadably engage)and ultimately retain the drive rack 282 in a desired position withinthe interior aperture 206. The bottom side 242 can define a drive rackreceiving slot 286 that receives the drive rack 282. In variousexamples, the drive rack receiving slot 286 can have a taperedcross-section such that an interference fit is provided with the driverack 282. For example, the drive rack receiving slot 286 may have agenerally pyramidal cross-section that is complementary to across-section of the drive rack 282 such that, upon inserting the driverack 282 into the drive rack receiving slot 286, the drive rack 282 isretained in a vertical direction and/or a horizontal direction that isnon-parallel with a direction of travel along the rail assembly 98(e.g., left-to-right as oriented in FIGS. 8-16 ). Such retention of thedrive rack 282 in vertical and/or horizontal directions that arenon-parallel with the direction of travel along the rail assembly 98 maybe accomplished in the absence of the anchors 278. In some examples, theanchors 278 can retain the drive rack 282 in a desired position in ahorizontal direction that is parallel or substantially parallel to thedirection of travel along the rail assembly 98, even if the anchors 278do not threadably engage with the drive rack 282. The anchors 278 canengage with an underside of the drive rack 282. The underside of thedrive rack 282 can be defined as a side that is opposite teeth 290 ofthe drive rack 282.

Referring further to FIGS. 8-16 , the teeth 290 of the drive rack 282can be engaged by the tractor assembly 258 such that the tractorassembly 258 can move along the drive rack 282 and ultimately traversethe length of the rail assembly 98. For example, a worm gear 294 canengage with the teeth 290 on the drive rack 282 such that rotation in afirst rotational direction (e.g., clockwise) results in the tractorassembly 258 actuating, or climbing, in a first linear direction (e.g.,forward); and rotation in a second rotational direction (e.g.,counterclockwise) results in the tractor assembly 258 actuating, orclimbing, in a second linear direction (e.g., rearward). In variousexamples, the tractor assembly 258 can be provided with one or moreguide members 298 that can engage with a portion of the rail assembly 98within the interior aperture 206 such that the tractor assembly 258maintains a desired positioning within the interior aperture 206.Accordingly, binding, sticking, and/or rattling of components of thetrack assembly 194 can be reduced in frequency of occurrence and/orseverity. The guide members 298 can aid in vertical and/or horizontalpositioning of the tractor assembly 258 within the interior aperture206. The guide members 298 can also decrease a level of felt frictionthat the tractor assembly 258 may experience as the tractor assembly 258traverses the rail assembly 98. The decreased level of felt friction bythe tractor assembly 258 as a result of the guide members 298 being madeof a low friction and/or self-lubricating material (e.g., ultra-highmolecular weight polyethylene). The guide members 298 can engage withprotruding features 302 of the rail assembly 98 that extend inwardlyfrom the sides of the rail assembly 98 into the interior aperture 206.For example, the protruding features 302 can extend inwardly from thefirst and second lateral sides 214, 218 toward the interior aperture206. The engagement between the guide members 298 and the protrudingfeatures 302 can facilitate and/or aid in retaining a horizontal and/orvertical position of the tractor assembly 258 within the interioraperture 206.

Referring still further to FIGS. 8-16 , in examples that utilize morethan one guide member 298, a guide member biasing member 306 can beprovided that allows the guide members 298 to move between extended andretracted positions. For example, the guide member biasing member 306can bias the guide members 298 to an extended position such that theguide members 298 are actively pressed into engagement with theprotruding features 302. In various examples, the guide member biasingmember 306 can be a compression spring, a coil spring, a leaf spring,elastomeric tubing, polymeric tubing, rubber tubing, or any othersuitable structure or feature that biases the guide members 298 to anextended position. Movement of the guide members 298 can be constrainedby adjacent portions of a tractor frame 310 positioned generallyparallel to one another and extending along an extension axis of theguide members 298. As depicted, the extension axis may be a horizontalaxis. The tractor frame 310 in the region of the guide members 298 candefine one or more guide member shoulders 314. The guide membershoulders 314 can extend inwardly toward the guide members 298 and bepositioned between the guide members 298. The guide member shoulders 314can provide an innermost stop for the retracted position of the guidemembers 298. Additionally or alternatively, the guide member shoulders314 can provide a region of narrower inner diameter that can aid inretention of the guide member biasing member 306 while also aiding inguiding compression and/or extension of the guide member biasing member306.

Referring yet again to FIGS. 8-16 , the tractor assembly 258 can beprovided with one or more electromagnets 318. At least one of theelectromagnets 318 is provided with electrical leads 322 that canreceive power from a power supply, such as a vehicle battery.Accordingly, the electromagnet(s) 318 can be selectively energized tointroduce a magnetic field when desired. The introduction of themagnetic field can be utilized to disengage or unlock the retentionstructure 202 and transmit motion of the tractor assembly 258 to theretention structure 202 and/or carriage structure 126, as will bediscussed in more detail below. The power received by theelectromagnet(s) 318 can be transmitted from the power supply by thetractor power conductor 246. The tractor power conductor 246 can alsoprovide power from the power supply to run a drive motor 326 (see FIG.18 ) that drives the worm gear 294 to rotate. One or more tractor powerbrush assemblies 330 can engage with the tractor power conductor 246.The vehicle 30 and the tractor assembly 258 can exchange data and/orinformation by way of the second interior channel 250. The tractorassembly 258 includes tractor data brush assemblies 334 that engage withthe second interior channel 250. The data and/or information that thevehicle 30 and the tractor assembly 258 exchange can include, but is notlimited to, positional information about a present location of thetractor assembly 258 within the rail assembly 98, instructions about adesired location of the tractor assembly 258 within the rail assembly 98for the tractor assembly 258 to move to, instructions about a number anddirection of rotations of the worm gear 294 to achieve the desiredlocation from the present location, instructions about engaging and/ordisengaging the electromagnet(s) 318, a status or health of the tractorassembly 258 (e.g., are components of the tractor assembly 258 operatingas expected and/or intended), a coupled or decoupled state of thetractor assembly 258 with a rail-mounted component 34, and/or whetherthe retention structure 202 has been successfully placed in the engagedor disengaged position. Accordingly, the vehicle 30 can relayinformation about the interaction of various components of the trackassembly 194 to other components of the track assembly 194 and/or othercomponents of the vehicle 30. Therefore, improved integration ofcomponents of the vehicle 30 can be achieved while providing improvedmonitoring of the components of the vehicle 30. The tractor power anddata brush assemblies 330, 334 will be discussed in more detail below.

Referring further to FIGS. 8-16 , the carriage structure 126 can beprovided with one or more carriage power brush assemblies 338 and/or oneor more carriage data brush assemblies 342. The carriage power brushassembly 338 engages with the carriage power conductor 226 such thatrail-mounted components 34 that are coupled to the carriage structure126 can receive power from the power supply. In examples where therail-mounted component 34 is a seating assembly, the power received fromthe power supply by the carriage power brush assembly 338 can transmitpower to seat-mounted components that can include, but are not limitedto, safety devices, safety restraints, seat-mounted airbags, occupancystatus sensors/indicators, comfort components, seat heating components,seat ventilation components, seat articulation motors (e.g., seat backreclining, extension of lower leg support, adjustment of side bolsters,adjustment of headrest position, swivel of seating assembly relative tovehicle 30, and/or armrest deployment/stowage), charging stations forelectronic devices, and/or seat-mounted entertainment solutions (e.g.,audio and/or visual entertainment). In examples where the rail-mountedcomponents 34 are consoles (e.g., floor consoles or center consoles),the power received from the power supply by the carriage power brushassembly 338 can transmit power to console components. The consolecomponents that receive power can include, but are not limited to, lightsources (e.g., incandescent bulbs and/or LEDs), compartment locks,thermal management systems (e.g., for cup holders and/or storagecompartments), charging stations for electronic devices, and/oractuation motors (e.g., for storage compartment lids/covers). Inexamples where the rail-mounted components 34 are storage units or rowsof lockers, the power received from the power supply by the carriagepower brush assembly 338 can transmit power to storage unit components.The storage unit components can include, but are not limited to, lightsources (e.g., incandescent bulbs or LEDs), locks for individual storagecompartments of the storage units, thermal management systems (e.g.,temperature controlled storage compartments for transport of perishablefoods and/or transport of delivered hot foods), charging stations forelectronic devices, stored item sensors/indicators (e.g., weightsensors, optical sensors, cameras, and/or photoelectric sensors), and/oractuation motors for doors on individual storage compartments.

Referring still further to FIGS. 8-16 , the carriage data brush assembly342 engages with the carriage data conductor 234 such that therail-mounted components 34 and the vehicle 30 can communicate status,health, and/or instructions to one another. In examples where therail-mounted components 34 are seating assemblies, the data communicatedbetween the carriage data conductor 234 and the carriage data brushassembly 342 can include, but is not limited to, position along the railassembly 98, rotational position of actuation motors, rotationalposition of seat components relative to one another (e.g., seat back,seat, lower leg support, headrest, armrests, and/or side bolsters), aswivel rotational position relative to the vehicle 30, health of theactuation motors (e.g., presence of binding, sticking, or otherdepartures from expected/intended operation), occupancy status, on/offstate of seat-mounted components (e.g., heating, ventilation, actuationmotors, and/or entertainment solutions), engaged vs. disengaged state ofsafety restraints (e.g., buckled vs. unbuckled), health of safetydevices, and/or health of seat-mounted airbags. In examples where therail-mounted components 34 are consoles (e.g., floor consoles or centerconsoles), the data communicated between the carriage data conductor 234and the carriage data brush assembly 342 can include, but is not limitedto, position along the rail assembly, open vs. closed status of lids orcovers to storage compartments, on/off status of light sources, lockedvs. unlocked status of compartment locks, on/off status of thermalmanagement systems, thermal status of thermal management systems (e.g.,providing heated vs. cooled environment), and/or utilization state ofcharging stations (e.g., electronic device connected vs. no electronicdevice connected). In examples where the rail-mounted components 34 arestorage units or rows of lockers, the data communicated between thecarriage data conductor 234 and the carriage data brush assembly 338 caninclude, but is not limited to, on/off status of light sources, lockedvs. unlocked status for individual storage compartments, on/off statusof thermal management systems, thermal status of thermal managementsystems (e.g., providing heated vs. cooled environment), utilizationstate of charging stations (e.g., electronic device connected vs. noelectronic device connected), and/or item stored vs. empty status of agiven storage compartment.

Referring further to FIGS. 8-16 , the carriage power conductor 226, thecarriage data conductor 234, the tractor power conductor 246, and thesecond interior channel 254 are each provided with conductive members346. The conductive members 346 are engaged by corresponding brushes 350in each of the brush assemblies. For example, the conductive members 346in the carriage power conductor 226 are engaged by brushes 350 in thecarriage power brush assemblies 338, the conductive members 346 in thecarriage data conductors 234 are engaged by brushes 350 in the carriagedata brush assemblies 342, the conductive members 346 in the tractorpower conductors 246 are engaged by brushes 350 in the tractor powerbrush assemblies 330, and the conductive members 346 in the tractor dataconductors 254 are engaged by brushes 350 in the tractor data brushassemblies 334. In some examples, such as those depicted in FIGS. 10,11, 14, and 15 , a biasing member 354 can be provided that biases one ormore of the conductive members 346 to an extended position. Additionallyor alternatively, the biasing member 354 can be provided such that oneor more of the brushes 350 is biased to an extended position. Forexample, see FIG. 12 where the biasing members 354 are provided behindone or more of the brushes 350 such that the associated brushes 350 arebiased to the extended position while the biasing members 354 areomitted from the conductive members 346; as well as FIG. 15 where thebiasing members 354 are provided behind one or more of the conductivemembers 346 and one or more of the brushes 350. Accordingly, activeengagement between the conductive members 346 and the brushes 350 can bemaintained such that power and/or data may be transferred between thevehicle 30 and the carriage assembly 122 by way of the rail assembly 98.

Referring again to FIGS. 8-16 , the carriage structure 126 can beprovided with upper rollers 358 and/or lower rollers 362. The upper andlower rollers 358, 362 cooperate to retain a vertical position of thecarriage structure 126 relative to the rail assembly 98. While the upperand lower rollers 358, 362 are described as retaining a verticalposition of the carriage structure relative to the rail assembly 98, thepresent disclosure is not so limited. Rather, the upper and lowerrollers 358, 362 can more broadly be described as retaining the carriagestructure 126 to the rail assembly 98 in a direction that isnon-parallel with the direction of travel along the rail assembly 98.Accordingly, the upper and lower rollers 358, 362 retain the carriagestructure 126 to the rail assembly 98 while allowing for actuation alongthe rail assembly 98 to occur. The upper rollers 358 slidably engagewith a surface of the top side 210 of the rail assembly 98. The lowerrollers 362 can slidably engage with surfaces that are defined by thefirst lateral side 214, the second lateral side 218, and/or the top side210. For example, the lower rollers 362 can slidably engage with anunderside of rail shoulders 366 that are defined by the rail assembly98. The rail shoulders 366 can be defined by a difference in a distancebetween exterior surfaces of the first and second lateral sides 214, 218and an overall width of the top side 210. The upper and lower rollers358, 362 can be, but are not limited to, wheels, bearings, and/or glidebars (e.g., low friction non-rotating structures). In various examples,the lower rollers 362 can engage with a component that is inserted orotherwise provided in or proximate to the rail shoulders 366. Forexample, the lower rollers 362 can slidably engage with a locking rail370.

Referring further to FIGS. 8-16 , the locking rail 370 can be T-shapedwith a leg 374 and a cross-member 378. The locking rail 370 can bereceived within a locking rail channel 382 that is defined by the railassembly 98. For example, the locking rail channel 382 can be defined byone or more of the top side 210, the first lateral side 214, and thesecond lateral side 218. The locking rail channel 382 is complementarilyshaped to receive the locking rail 370. Accordingly, the cross-member378 can provide lateral retention forces to retain the locking rail 370within the locking rail channel 382 during normal operation. In variousexamples, the leg 374 of the locking rail 370 can define recesses 386that receive a portion of the retention structure 202. The retentionstructure 202 can be provided with locking pawls 390 that engage withthe recesses 386. The locking pawls 390 can extend downwardly from anupper portion 394 of the retention structure 202 toward the railassembly 98. The locking pawls 390 include an engagement end 398 thatengages with the recesses 386 in the locking rail 370. In variousexamples, the engagement ends 398 can be arcuate in shape such that theengagement ends 398 engage with an underside of the locking rail 370.The underside of the locking rail 370 can define the recesses 386 thatreceive the engagement ends 398 of the locking pawls 390. In someexamples, the locking pawls 390 may aid in retention of the carriagestructure 126 such that the lower rollers 362 may be omitted.

Referring yet again to FIGS. 8-16 , the retention structure 202 isoperable between raised and lowered positions. The raised position, inone example, is depicted in FIG. 10 . An at least partially-loweredposition, in one example, is depicted in FIG. 11 . In some examples, theengagement end 398 of the locking pawl 390 does not fully exit a depthof the recess 386 in the locking rail 370 prior to movement of theretention structure 202 and the carriage structure 126 along the railassembly 98. In such an example, the recesses 386 in the locking rail370 may be interconnected with adjacent others of the recesses 386 by agroove that extends along the locking rail 370, where the groove has adepth that is shallower or less than the depth of the recesses 386.Accordingly, the locking rail 370 may permit actuation along the railassembly 98 while preventing unintentional decoupling of the retentionstructure 202 from the rail assembly 98 in directions that arenon-parallel to the direction of actuation of the carriage assembly 122along the rail assembly 98. In other examples, the engagement end 398 ofthe locking pawl 390 fully exits the recess 386 in the locking rail 370prior to movement of the retention structure 202 and the carriagestructure 126 along the rail assembly 98. In either example, regardlessof whether the engagement end 398 fully exits the recess 386 prior toactuation of the retention structure 202 and the carriage structure 126,the dimensions and/or materials of the retention structure 202, thecarriage structure 126, and/or the rail assembly 98 can preventunintentional decoupling of the retention structure 202 from the railassembly 98. For example, in the event that the engagement end 398 fullyexits the recess 386 prior to actuation along the rail assembly 98, thesize and positioning of the retention structure 202 relative to the railassembly 98 can prevent unintentional decoupling by the engagement ends398 contacting the first or second lateral sides 214, 218 depending onthe direction of an external force. Accordingly, the retention structure202 can be prevented from unintentional decoupling from the railassembly 98. The same fit and prevention of unintentional decoupling canalso be provided in examples where the engagement ends 398 do not fullyexit the depth of the recesses 386 prior to actuation along the railassembly 98.

Referring still further to FIGS. 8-16 , the electromagnet 318 can inducemotion of the retention structure 202 such that the retention structure202 is moved between the raised and lowered positions. The movementinduced by the electromagnet 318 of the tractor assembly 258 isindirect. That is, no direct physical contact is made between thetractor assembly 258, the electromagnet 318, and the retention structure202. Additionally, no intermediate physical contact is made between theretention structure 202, the tractor assembly 258, and the electromagnet318 by way of an intermediate portion of the track assembly 194, such asa cam or connecting member. Rather, the motion of the retentionstructure 202 induced by the electromagnet 318 to move the retentionstructure 202 from the raised to the lowered position is accomplished bya magnetic field selectively provided by the electromagnet 318. Inoperation, the tractor assembly 258 is actuated to a location along therail assembly 98 where one of the carriage assemblies 122 is located.When the electromagnet 318 is activated, the magnetic field provided bythe electromagnet 318 can cause the retention structure 202 to move theengagement ends 398 of the locking pawls 390 to the lowered ordisengaged position relative to the recesses 386 such that the carriageassembly 122 can be actuated along the rail assembly 98. For example,the magnetic force provided by the electromagnet 318 can act againstbiasing members, such as lock springs 402, which bias the retentionstructure 202 to the raised or engaged position with the recesses 386.In various examples, the retention structure 202 can be made of amagnetically-susceptible material (e.g., steel) such that the magneticfield provided by the electromagnet 318 can attract the retentionstructure 202 toward the tractor assembly 258 and effect thedisengagement of the engagement ends 398 from the recesses 386. Themovement of the retention structure 202 between the raised and loweredpositions is noted with arrow 406. Actuation of the retention structure202 to the lowered or disengaged position permits actuation of thecarriage assembly 122 along the rail assembly 98, as denoted with arrow410. In some examples, the retention structure 202 may be made from amaterial that is not susceptible to a magnetic field. In such anexample, the retention structure 202 can be provided with an insert 414or a portion that is susceptible to magnetic fields. Accordingly, theelectromagnet 318 can actuate the retention structure 202 by way of theinsert 414 or magnetically susceptible portion.

Referring again to FIGS. 8-16 , the carriage structure 126 can be atleast partially made from a magnetically susceptible material (e.g.,steel) or provided with an insert that is magnetically susceptible,similar to the example outlined above for the retention structure 202.When the electromagnet 318 is engaged below the carriage assembly 122,the carriage structure 126 can be indirectly coupled to the tractorassembly 258 that carries the engaged electromagnet 318. However, thecarriage structure 126 does not vertically actuate relative to the railassembly 98 due to the support provided by the upper rollers 358. Ofcourse, it is contemplated that some degree of vertical movement of thecarriage structure 126 may occur due to the activation of theelectromagnet 318, however, this minor vertical movement can berestricted to the clearances provided between components of the carriageassembly 122. It is also contemplated that in many situations, therail-mounted components 34 may have a sufficient amount of weight toresult in the taking-up of tolerances between components of the carriageassembly 122 prior to, and independent of, activation of theelectromagnet 318. While little to no vertical movement of the carriagestructure 126 relative to the rail assembly 98 may occur as a result ofthe activation of the electromagnet 318, once the electromagnet 318 isactivated and the magnetic field interacts with the carriage structure126, then subsequent movement or actuation of the tractor assembly 258relative to the rail assembly 98 is imparted to the carriage structure126 and ultimately results in the actuation of the carriage assembly 122along the rail assembly 98, as indicated by arrow 410.

Referring yet again to FIGS. 8-16 , a method of coupling the carriageassembly 122 and the tractor assembly 258 to the rail assembly 98 willnow be described according to one example. The carriage assembly 122 isaligned with an end of the rail assembly 98 such that the rail assembly98 is generally collinear with a space between the carriage power brushassembly 338 and the carriage data brush assembly 192, as well as aspace between the locking pawls 390 of the retention structure 202. Insome examples, a portion of the locking rail 370 that is proximate aloading end of the rail assembly 98 can provide the recesses 386 as acontinuous groove of the same or similar depth as the recesses 386 suchthat coupling of the carriage assembly 122 can be accomplished withoutcompressing the lock springs 402. In such an example, the carriageassembly 122 can be coupled to the rail assembly 98 prior to thecoupling of the tractor assembly 258 to the rail assembly 98 and withoutthe exertion of additional energy by an assembler or by equipment usedto compress the lock springs 402. Alternatively, during assembly, amagnetic field can be applied as the carriage assembly 122 is beingcoupled to the rail assembly 98 such that the retention structure 202compresses the lock springs 402 and the carriage assembly 122 is free toslide along the rail assembly 98. The magnetic field in such an examplemay be provided by the tractor assembly 258 or by a piece of equipmentutilized by the assembler. For example, an electromagnet that isseparate from the tractor assembly 258 can be placed within the interioraperture 206 at the loading end of the rail assembly 98 and as thecarriage assembly 122 is being aligned with the rail assembly 98, theelectromagnet that is separate from the tractor assembly 258 can beutilized to compress the lock springs 402. It is also contemplated thatthe loading end of the rail assembly 98 can omit the locking rail 370such that the engagement ends 398 of the locking pawls 390 slide withinthe locking rail channel 382 while the lock springs 402 remain in anextend position that corresponds with the raised position of theretention structure 202. Once the carriage assembly 122 has beenassembled to the rail assembly 98, the tractor assembly 258 can beutilized to move the carriage assembly 122 along the rail assembly 98 toa desired location. Coupling the tractor assembly 258 to the railassembly 98 can be done by aligning the tractor assembly 258 with theinterior aperture 206 and compressing the guide member biasing member306 such that the guide members 298 fit within the dimensions of theinterior aperture 206. Next, the tractor assembly 258 can be insertedinto the interior aperture 206 and ultimately engaged with the driverack 282. In some examples, the protruding features 302 within theinterior aperture 206 can taper toward the loading end of the railassembly 98 such that the guide member biasing member 306 need not becompressed prior to inserting the tractor assembly 258 into the interioraperture 206. In such an example, as the tractor assembly 258 isactuated along the drive rack 282 along the rail assembly 98, theprotruding features 302 can taper inward such that the guide members 298are actuated toward one another and the guide member biasing member 306is compressed.

Referring further to FIGS. 8-16 , a method of operating the trackassembly 194 will now be described according to one example. Once thetractor assembly 258 has been coupled to the rail assembly 98, thetractor assembly 258 can be utilized to adjust the position of one ormore carriage assemblies 122 along the rail assembly 98. Once one of thecarriage assemblies 122 has been coupled to the rail assembly 98, thetractor assembly 258 can be positioned below the carriage assembly 122and the electromagnet(s) 318 can be engaged. The engagement of theelectromagnet(s) 318 can transition the retention structure 202 from theraised position to the lowered position such that the engagement ends398 disengage from the recesses 386 to an extent that permits actuationof the carriage assembly 122 along the rail assembly 98. The engagementof the electromagnet(s) 318 can also result in a magnetic couplingbetween the tractor assembly 258 and the carriage assembly 122 such thatmovement of the tractor assembly 258 along the rail assembly 98 resultsin corresponding movement of the carriage assembly 122 along the railassembly 98. It is the magnetic coupling between the carriage assembly122 and the tractor assembly 258 that enables the use of a slot-lessapproach to the rail assembly 98 while maintaining the ability toactuate rail-mounted components 34 to various locations within the cabin90. The magnetic coupling also enables a contact-free actuation of thecarriage assembly 122 along the rail assembly 98. The unlocking of theretention structure 202 and the magnetic coupling between the carriageassembly 122 and the tractor assembly 258 can occur simultaneously. Oncethe tractor assembly 258 has indirectly (e.g., magnetically) coupledwith the carriage assembly 122, the tractor assembly 258 can actuate thecarriage assembly 122 to the desired location along the rail assembly98. Once the carriage assembly 122 has reached the desired location, thetractor assembly 258 can disengage the electromagnet(s) 318, whichdecouples the tractor assembly 258 from the carriage assembly 122 andallows the retention structure 202 to assume its raised or lockedposition with the engagement ends 398 entering one or more of therecesses 386. The tractor assembly 258 can then actuate to anotherlocation along the rail assembly 98 (e.g., back to the loading end) tosimilarly engage with another carriage assembly 122 to then actuate thenext carriage assembly 122 to its associated desired location.Accordingly, each rail assembly 98 can be provided with a single tractorassembly 258 that is responsible for the adjustment of the positions ofmultiple carriage assemblies 122 coupled to the given rail assembly 98.In some examples, movement of the tractor assembly 258 in one railassembly 98 can be synchronized with movement of the tractor assembly258 in another rail assembly 98 to effect movement of rail-mountedcomponents 34 that are coupled to a plurality of the rail assemblies 98(e.g., storage units, lockers, consoles, seating assemblies, etc.).

Referring now to FIGS. 8-16 , the carriage structure 126 can extendthrough the retention structure 202. For example, the retentionstructure 202 can define slots 418 that arms 422 of the carriagestructure 126 extend through such that the carriage power and data brushassemblies 338, 342, which are carried by the arms 422, can engage withthe carriage power conductor 226 and the carriage data conductor 234,respectively. Such an arrangement of the carriage assembly 122 enablescontinuous contact between the carriage power conductor 226 and thecarriage power brush assembly 338, as well as the carriage dataconductor 234 and the carriage data brush assembly 342, while permittingdynamic actuation of the retention structure 202 relative to thecarriage structure 126. Additionally, the carriage structure 126 is ableto provide a bearing surface for the retention structure 202 to act uponwhen the retention structure is actuated between the raised and loweredpositions. The lock springs 402 can be positioned between a portion ofthe retention structure 202 and a portion of the carriage structure 126such that the lock springs 402 are sandwiched between the twocomponents. In some examples, the lock springs 402 may be positioned onor over a protrusion 426 that retains a lateral position of the locksprings 402 relative to the carriage assembly 122 as the lock springs402 are actuated between compressed and extended positions. Theprotrusions 426 can be sized to fit within an inner diameter of the locksprings 402.

Referring to FIG. 17 , the carriage power conductor 226 is receivedwithin the first external channel 222. The carriage power conductor 226is provided with retention lips 430 that extend into correspondingportions of the first external channel 222 such that the carriage powerconductor 226 is retained within the first external channel 222. Thecarriage power conductor 226 can be provided with a first thickness fromwhich the retention lips 430 extend to define a second thickness that isgreater than the first thickness. In the depicted example, theconductive members 346 are positioned within conductive member channels434 that are defined by a body 438 of the carriage power conductor 226.The body 438 defines peripheral portions 442 that flank a centralportion 446. The peripheral portions 442 and the central portion 446each define one or more retaining protrusions 450 that aid in retentionof the conductive members 346 within the conductive member channels 434.The retaining protrusions 450 on the peripheral portions 442 extendinwardly toward the central portion 446. Similarly, the retainingprotrusions 450 on the central portion 446 extend outwardly toward theperipheral portions 442. The retaining protrusions 450 extend overshoulders 454 of the conductive members 346 such that an interferencefit is provided between the retaining protrusions 450 and the shoulders454. Accordingly, the conductive members 346 are retained within theconductive member channels 434 in directions that are non-parallel to adirection of travel of rail-mounted components 34 along the railassembly 98. The peripheral portions 442 and the central portion 446 caninclude one or more tapered edges 458. The tapered edges 458 can aid inlocating or receiving engagement portions 462 of the brushes 350 thatare provided in the carriage power brush assembly 338. Said another way,upon misalignment of the brushes 350 relative to the conductive members346, the engagement portion 462 of the brushes 350 may contact thetapered edges 458 of the peripheral and/or central portions 442, 446. Insuch a situation, the tapered edges 458 can aid in guiding theengagement portions 462 into contact with the conductive members 346such that a connection is established between the carriage power brushassembly 338 and the carriage power conductor 226. The brushes 350 caninclude shoulders 466, similar to the shoulders 454 of the conductivemembers 346, which extend outwardly from a thickness of the engagementportion 462 of the brushes 350. Accordingly, the engagement portion 462defines a first thickness of the brush 350 and the shoulders 466 definea second thickness of the brushes 350, where the second thickness isgreater than the first thickness. Similar to the body 438 of thecarriage power conductor 226, the carriage power brush assembly 338 caninclude retaining protrusions 470 that are defined by a body 474 of thecarriage power brush assembly 338. The retaining protrusions 470 extendover the shoulders 466 of the brushes 350 such that the brushes 350 areretained within brush slots 478 that are defined by the body 474 of thecarriage power brush assembly 338. The relative dimensions of thebrushes 350 and the brush slots 478 can provide for actuation of thebrush 350 relative to the associated brush slot 478. For example, thebiasing members 354 in the carriage power brush assembly 338 can biasthe brush 350 to an extended position such that the brush 350 isencouraged to actively engage with the conductive member 346 in thecarriage power conductor 226. The engagement portion 462 of the brush350 can have length that is longer than a length of the portion of thebrush 350 that has the second thickness that defines the shoulders 466.Additionally, the brush slot 478 can be provided with dimensions thatare greater than the length of the portion of the brush 350 that definesthe shoulders 466. Accordingly, if the engagement portion 462 wears overtime such that the length of the engagement portion 462 decreases as afunction of time, the biasing members 354 can bias the brush 350 to theextended position such that the engagement portion 462 remains capableof contacting the conductive members 346. As with the body 438 of thecarriage power conductor 226, the body 474 of the carriage power brushassembly 338 can define retention lips 482 that engage with acorresponding portion of a housing 486 of the carriage power brushassembly 338 such that the body 474 is retained within the carriagepower brush assembly 338 in directions that are non-parallel to adirection of actuation along the rail assembly 98.

Referring now to FIG. 18 , the tractor assembly 258 includes one or moreof the electromagnets 318. In the depicted example, the electromagnets318 are positioned proximate to ends of the tractor assembly 258 withthe worm gear 294 and the drive motor 326 positioned between theelectromagnets 318. The worm gear 294 and the drive motor 326 arecoupled to one another by way of a drive shaft 490 that transmitsrotational motion imparted by the drive motor 326 into rotational motionof the worm gear 294. The worm gear 294 and the drive motor 326 arerotatable in at least one of a clockwise and a counter-clockwisedirection. In various examples, rotation of the worm gear 294 in one ofthe clockwise and the counter-clockwise direction results in actuationof the tractor assembly 258 in a first direction (e.g., forward) whilerotation of the worm gear 294 in the other of the clockwise and thecounter-clockwise direction results in actuation of the tractor assembly258 in a second direction (e.g., rearward). The worm gear 294 isprovided with teeth 494 that engage with the teeth 290 on the drive rack282. The engagement between the teeth 494 on the worm gear 294 and theteeth 290 on the drive rack 282 enables the rotational motion impartedto the worm gear 294 by the drive motor 326 to be translated into linearmotion of the tractor assembly 258 along the drive rack 282. Thecomponents of the tractor assembly 258 can be contained within a housing498. The housing 498 can be provided with, or define, open regions thatare positioned near the one or more electromagnets 318. These openregions in the housing 498 can receive a glide cap 502. The glide cap502 can be coupled to the housing 498 with protrusions that engage withapertures 506 that are defined by the housing 498. Coupling the glidecaps 502 to the housing 498 can be accomplished by pressing the glidecaps 502 onto the housing 498 where the open regions are provided, atwhich point, the glide cap 502 can slightly and momentarily deform orexpand. Once the protrusions provided on the glide cap 502 co-localizewith the apertures 506 in the housing 498 of the tractor assembly 258,the glide cap 502 can reassume its designed shape while being retainedto the housing 498 of the tractor assembly 258. Said another way, theslight and momentary deformation of the glide cap 502 can store anamount of restorative energy that is ultimately released upon thecoupling of the protrusions with the apertures 506.

Referring again to FIG. 18 , the glide cap 502 is made from a materialthat has a low coefficient of friction with the material of the railassembly 98. The glide caps 502 are positioned over the electromagnets318 such that the glide caps 502 contact the rail assembly 98 uponactivation of the electromagnets 318 rather than the electromagnets 318or the housing 498 of the tractor assembly 258. Upon activation of theelectromagnets 318, the magnetic field provided by the electromagnets318 results in an attractive force with at least a portion of thecarriage assembly 122 (e.g., the retention structure 202 and/or thecarriage structure 126). Accordingly, the tractor assembly 258 may belifted within the interior aperture 206 such that direct physicalcontact is made with an underside of the top side 210 of the railassembly 98. Therefore, the glide caps 502 provide a low-frictionengagement between the tractor assembly 258 and the rail assembly 98that does not impede actuation of the tractor assembly 258 along theinterior aperture 206 of the rail assembly 98. In various examples, theglide caps 502 are removable such that as the material of the glide caps502 wears over time, the glide caps 502 can be rapidly serviced and/orreplaced. Additionally, the removable nature of the glide caps 502 canallow for utilization of the tractor assembly 258 in a variety of railassemblies 98 that may be made from materials that have varyingcoefficients of friction relative to one another such that a singlematerial choice for the glide caps 502 may not be optimal for each ofthe rail assemblies 98. Accordingly, different glide caps 502 can beinterchanged based on the rail assembly 98 material that is present in agiven configuration. In some examples, the housing 498 may be made ofthe material that the glide caps 502 would be made of such that theglide caps 502 may be omitted and the surface of the housing 498 mayprovide the decreased coefficient of friction with the underside of thetop side 210 of the rail assembly 98. In such an example, tractorassemblies 258 with different materials for the housing 498 may beprovided and/or utilized such that a sufficiently low coefficient offriction is provided between the tractor assembly 258 and the railassembly 98. The teeth 494 on the worm gear 294 can be provided with asufficient depth that, upon activation of the electromagnet(s) 318 andraising of the tractor assembly 258 within the interior aperture 206,the teeth 494 on the worm gear 294 do not become decoupled from theteeth 290 on the drive rack 282. The teeth 494 on the worm gear 294extend from a portion of the housing 498. In some examples, the tractorassembly 258 can be provided with one or more glide bars 510. The glidebars 510 can carry a load or weight of the tractor assembly 258 suchthat components of the tractor assembly 258 do not stick or bind in theteeth 290 of the drive rack 282 while also providing a wear-resistantand low-friction engagement between the tractor assembly 258 and thedrive rack 282. Said another way, the glide bars 510 can support thetractor assembly 258 on the drive rack 282 in a low-friction mannersimilar to the engagement of the glide caps 502 with the rail assembly98. Additionally, the glide bars 510 carry and distribute the weight ofthe tractor assembly 258 such that the worm gear 294 does not carryvertical loads that result from the weight of the tractor assembly 258.Rather, the worm gear 294 carries loads along the direction of actuation(e.g., see arrow 410). Additionally, an amount of output torque requiredby the drive motor 326 may be decreased due to friction between the wormgear 294 and the drive rack 282 being decreased with the worm gear 294not being pressed into the teeth 290 of the drive rack 282 by the weightof the tractor assembly 258.

Referring to FIG. 19 , the vehicle 30 can be provided with the abilityto receive one or more of the rail-mounted components 34. In variousexamples, the vehicle 30 may be provided with the one or morerail-mounted components 34. The vehicle 30 includes the restraintmonitoring system 38. One or more of the one or more rail-mountedcomponents 34 can be provided with the one or more restraints 42. Invarious examples, the restraints 42 can be seatbelts, airbags, tethers,or any other structure that restricts movement of a cargo item or apassenger. The restraint monitoring system 38 includes the restraintcontrol module 46, the encoder-decoder module 50, and the rail-mountedcomponent control module 54. The encoder-decoder module 50 can includethe feed amplifier 58, the return amplifier 62, and/or theencoder-decoder module microcontroller 66. In various examples, theencoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 can communicate diagnosticstatus of one or more of the one or more restraints 42 to the returnamplifier 62. The return amplifier 62 can output a signal that adjusts aresistance in the potentiometer 70 when a diagnostic issue is indicatedby the encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66. The resistanceadjustment in the potentiometer 70 can be read by the restraint controlmodule 46. The restraint control module 46 can communicate thediagnostic issue to a user or operator of the vehicle 30. Therail-mounted component control module 54 can include the restraintdeployment loop 74 and/or the restraint diagnostic loop 78. In variousexamples, the restraint deployment loop 74 includes the deploymentsignal amplifier 82. In some examples, the restraint diagnostic loop 78includes the diagnostic signal amplifier 86. In examples that employboth the deployment signal amplifier 82 and the diagnostic signalamplifier 86, the deployment signal amplifier 82 and the diagnosticsignal amplifier 86 can be wired in parallel. The encoder-decoder module50 and the rail-mounted component control module 54 can each bepositioned downstream of the restraint control module 46 and upstream ofthe one or more restraints 42.

Referring again to FIG. 19 , the restraint control module 46 can receiveimpact signals from one or more impact sensors 514 that are coupled tothe vehicle 30. The impact sensors 514 may be existing impact sensors514 that are already incorporated into the construction or architectureof the vehicle 30. For example, the impact sensors 514 may be, but arenot limited to, accelerometers that register sudden accelerations and/ordecelerations, piezoelectric sensors, piezoresistive sensors, straingage sensors, radar, lidar, imagers, and/or combinations thereof. Ingeneral, the impact sensors 514 can be employed to determine when achange has occurred that warrants deployment of safety measures and/orthe restraints 42. The impact sensors 514 can be utilized to determinean imminent impact event and/or an impact event. The term imminentimpact is intended to encompass situations where impact with an objectexternal to the vehicle 30 is likely and may or may not be avoidablewith safety measures. For example, some imminent impacts may beavoidable with the application of a braking system. In such an example,the vehicle 30 may initiate safety measures in the form of braking. Insome examples, some imminent impacts may not be avoidable due to variousfactors, at which point the restraints 42 and/or other safety measuresmay be enacted (e.g., seatbelt tensioners). In various examples, thevehicle 30 may enact measures to initiate avoidance of the imminentimpact and escalate or transition into further safety measures and/orrestraint 42 deployment upon determination of an impending impact or anactual impact. In examples, the one or more impact sensors 514communicate the impact signal(s) to the restraint control module 46.Upon receipt of the impact signal(s) from the one or more impact sensors514, the restraint control module 46 communicates a restraint deploymentsignal to the encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66. Upon receipt ofthe restraint deployment signal from the restraint control module 46,the encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 can communicate therestraint deployment signal to the rail-mounted component control module54. For example, the encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 cancommunicate the restraint deployment signal to the deployment signalamplifier 82 of the rail-mounted component control module 54. Thedeployment signal amplifier 82 can communicate the restraint deploymentsignal to a rail-mounted component control module microcontroller 518.In some examples, the rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller 518 can reference an occupancy sensor 522 to determineif the rail-mounted component 34 is occupied. In examples where therail-mounted component 34 is one of the seating assemblies 94, theoccupancy sensor 522 can be referenced to determine if a passenger oroccupant is present in the seating assembly 94. In examples where therail-mounted component 34 is one of the storage units 158 or one of thestorage compartments 162, the occupancy sensor 522 can be referenced todetermine if a cargo item, such as a package or delivery item, ispresent in the given storage unit 158 or storage compartment 162. Whenthe rail-mounted component control module microcontroller 518 determinesthat the rail-mounted component 34 is occupied and the restraintdeployment signal has been received, then the rail-mounted componentcontrol module microcontroller 518 can communicate the restraintdeployment signal to one or more of the one or more restraints 42.

Referring further to FIG. 19 , in various examples, the restraintmonitoring system 38 monitors a health and/or operability of the one ormore restraints 42 by way of the restraint diagnostic loop. Therestraint diagnostic loop can also monitor the health and/or operabilityof a communication network between the restraint control module 46 andthe one or more restraints 42. The restraint control module 46 can poll,query, or otherwise monitor the health and/or operability of the one ormore restraints 42 and/or the communication network of the restraintmonitoring system 38. In various examples, the restraint control module46 can send a diagnostic signal with predetermined or knowncharacteristics through the encoder-decoder module 50, the rail-mountedcomponent control module 54, the restraints 42, and/or various othercomponents of the restraint monitoring system 38. For example, therestraint control module 46 can send the diagnostic signal with apredetermined or known amplitude and/or time duration. In one specificexample, the diagnostic signal may be sent by the restraint controlmodule 46 at an amplitude of 110 milliamperes (mA) with a duration of 10milliseconds (ms). The diagnostic signal may be sent on a regular basisto continually monitor the health and/or operability of the restraintmonitoring system 38. For example, the diagnostic signal may be sentfour times every second during a monitoring period. The monitoringperiod may be periodic or continual. In various examples, when thevehicle 30 is in park and power is available to the restraint monitoringsystem 38, the monitoring period may be periodic in nature and definedby timeframes of active diagnostic monitoring that are separated bytimeframes that lack active diagnostic monitoring. For example, theperiodic monitoring may actively monitor a diagnostic state of therestraint monitoring system 38 every minute, every other minute, oranother timing interval that is greater than a traversal time of thediagnostic signal through the restraint monitoring system 38. In someexamples, the monitoring period may be continual in nature such thatactive diagnostic monitoring is performed continually and at shortertime intervals than those indicative of the periodic monitoring. Forexample, the continual monitoring may be carried out several times everysecond while the vehicle 30 is not in park and power is available to therestraint monitoring system 38 (e.g., while the vehicle 30 is travelingon a road, while the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light, etc.).

Referring still further to FIG. 19 , components of the encoder-decodermodule 50 can include, but are not limited to, the feed amplifier 58,the return amplifier 62, the encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66,the potentiometer 70, a first field effect transistor 526, a secondfield effect transistor 530, a drain resistor 534, and/or a firstperipheral sensor interface 538. The components of the encoder-decodermodule 50 can be coupled to one another by conduits 542. The conduits542 can be electrically conductive wires that are capable oftransmitting signals, such as electrical signals, between variouscomponents of the encoder-decoder module 50 and/or the variouscomponents of the restraint monitoring system 38. In some examples,communication and/or transmission of signals between the encoder-decodermodule 50, the rail-mounted component control module 54, the restraintmonitoring system 38, components of the encoder-decoder module 50,components of the rail-mounted component control module 54, and/orcomponents of the restraint monitoring system can be accomplished by wayof wireless communication for at least some of the components of theencoder-decoder module 50 and/or the restraint monitoring system 38. Forexample, rather than employing the carriage data brush assemblies 342and the carriage data conductor 234 the various modules and componentsof the restraint monitoring system 38 can communicate wirelessly withone another for restraint diagnostic and restraint deployment purposes.Accordingly, the various conduits that delineate communication pathswithin the restraint monitoring system 38 can be omitted in someexamples and the corresponding communication between previously wiredcomponents can be accomplished by way of wireless communication. Such anarrangement may be beneficial in simplifying the overall architecture ofthe restraint monitoring system 38 and decreasing wiring complexitybetween the associated components. In examples that utilize the wirelesscommunication, one or more communication hubs or communication pointsthat are employed to facilitate the wireless communication betweencomponents can be employed. For example, one or more communication hubsor communication points can be provided in a ceiling of the cabin 90(e.g., in a headliner), provided along the rail assemblies 98, providedin the rail-mounted components 34, and/or other suitable locations thatenabled efficient transmittal of signals wirelessly. In variousexamples, the encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 and/or therestraint control module 46 can be coupled to a high-speed communicationnetwork 546. For example, the high-speed communication network 546 canbe a high-speed Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. The high-speedcommunication network 546 can also be coupled to various components ofthe encoder-decoder module 50, components of the restraint monitoringsystem 38, and/or components of the vehicle 30 by the conduits 542. Therestraint monitoring system 38, the restraint control module 46, theencoder-decoder module 50, and/or the rail-mounted component controlmodule 54 can be referred to as nodes of the high-speed communicationnetwork 546. The restraint control module 46 can be coupled to theencoder-decoder module 50 by one or more of the conduits 542. Similarly,the encoder-decoder module 50 can be coupled to the track assemblies 194by one or more of the conduits 542. For example, the conduits 542 mayextend from the encoder-decoder module 50 and be coupled to one or moreof the rail assemblies 98.

Referring yet again to FIG. 19 , the rail-mounted component controlmodule 54 can be coupled to the track assembly 194 with which the givenrail-mounted component 34 is associated. For example, the rail-mountedcomponent control module 54 can be mounted to the rail-mounted component34 and upon coupling the rail-mounted component 34 to one or more of therail assemblies 98, the rail-mounted component control module 54 canestablish a communicative connection with the encoder-decoder module 50and/or the restraint control module 46 by way of the track assembly 194.Components of the rail-mounted component control module 54 can include,but are not limited to, a power module 562, the deployment signalamplifier 82, the diagnostic signal amplifier 86, the rail-mountedcomponent control module microcontroller 518, the occupancy sensor 522,a deployment-diagnostic module 566, and/or a second peripheral sensorinterface 570. In various examples, the second peripheral sensorinterface 570 and the associated conduits that couple the secondperipheral sensor interface 570 to the remaining components of therail-mounted component control module 54 can provide a common output orreturn path for the restraint deployment loop 74 and the restraintdiagnostic loop 78. Said another way, the restraint deployment loop 74and the restraint diagnostic loop 78 can provide feedback to the railassembly 98 and/or the track assembly 194 by way of the secondperipheral sensor interface 570. In the depicted example, the commonoutput path or return path of the restraint deployment loop 74 and therestraint diagnostic loop 78 can be used to provide feedback orotherwise communicate with the encoder-decoder module 50. Morespecifically, the common return path of the restraint deployment loop 74and the restraint diagnostic loop 78 that is provided by the secondperipheral sensor interface 570 is coupled the encoder-decoder modulemicrocontroller 66 by way of the track assembly 194 and the firstperipheral sensor interface 538. The rail-mounted component controlmodule 54 is coupled to one or more of the one or more restraints 42that are associated with the rail-mounted component 34. The power module562 can include an input resistor 574 and an output resistor 578. Theinput resistor 574 can be coupled between a power supply 582, asindicated by “V+” in FIG. 19 , and an input conduit 586 of therail-mounted component control module 54. In various examples, the powersupply 582 can be one or more batteries provided by the vehicle 30 andthe power from the one or more batteries can be carried by the carriagepower conductors 226. The output resistor 578 can be coupled between anoutput conduit 590 and a grounding terminal 594. In the depictedexample, the grounding terminal 594 is a frame or chassis terminal thatprovides a ground reference point. In various examples, the inputresistor 574 and the output resistor 578 are provided with the same, ornearly the same, resistance within manufactured tolerances. In examples,the power applied by the power supply 582 passes through the inputresistor 574 and enters the input conduit 586. Once the power from thepower supply 582 enters the input conduit 586, the power traverses thecomponents of the rail-mounted component control module 54 and can exitby way of the output conduit 590, the output resistor 578, and thegrounding terminal 594. In such examples, when the components of therail-mounted component control module 54 are functioning as intended andthe input and output resistors 574, 578 are equal to one another, thenno change will be detected and the rail-mounted component control module54 does not report a diagnostic issue. The power from the power supply582 can be received from the carriage power conductor 226 of the railassembly 98 by the carriage power brush assembly 338 for a givenrail-mounted component 34. However, in such an example where the inputand output resistors 574, 578 are equal to one another and one or morecomponents of the rail-mounted control module 54 are not functioning asintended, a change may be detected or registered by the rail-mountedcomponent control module 54 and ultimately reported along the restraintdiagnostic loop 78. Once the change has been detected or registered bythe rail-mounted component control module 54, the rail-mounted componentcontrol module 54 can report the diagnostic issue back to theencoder-decoder module 50. For example, the diagnostic issue can bereported to the encoder-decoder module 50 by way of the secondperipheral sensor interface 570, which in turn communicates thediagnostic issue to the encoder-decoder module 50 by way of the trackassembly 194. The diagnostic issue may then be registered by the firstperipheral sensor interface 538 and reported to the encoder-decodermodule microcontroller 66. The encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66can output a signal that results in the return amplifier 62 adjusting aresistance of the potentiometer 70. The adjustment of the resistance ofthe potentiometer 70 can result in the restraint control module 46detecting or otherwise registering the diagnostic issue. In response tothe recognition of the diagnostic issue by the restraint control module46, the restraint control module 46 can communicate such issue to theuser. For example, the restraint control module 46 can illuminate awarning or information light that is visible to the user. In variousexamples, the restraint control module 46 can communicate the diagnosticissue to the user through the high-speed communication network 546, suchas a high-speed CAN bus.

Referring further to FIG. 19 , the rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller 518 can include a logic gate 598 that is coupled to thedeployment signal amplifier 82 and the occupancy sensor 522. In variousexamples, the logic gate 598 is an AND gate that transmits thedeployment signal to the restraints 42 when the deployment signal ispresent and when the occupancy sensor 522 indicates the givenrail-mounted component 34 is occupied (e.g., passenger or cargo item).As with the encoder-decoder module 50, the components of therail-mounted component control module 54 can be coupled to one anotherby conduits 602. Similarly, the rail-mounted component control module 54can be coupled to the one or more restraints 42 by conduits 606. In oneexample, the track assemblies 194 enable vehicle-mounted components,which may include the impact sensors 514, the restraint control module46, and/or the encoder-decoder module 50, to communicate with componentsthat are provided on the rail-mounted components 34. The carriageassemblies 122 can receive and/or transmit data signals, such as thedeployment signals and diagnostic signals. Additionally, the carriageassemblies 122 can receive power signal from the power supply 582 by wayof the rail assemblies 98.

Referring again to FIG. 19 , once the restraint control module 46 hasdetermined deployment of one or more of the restraints 42 is warranted,the restraint control module 46 can emit or otherwise communicate therestraint deployment signal to the feed amplifier 58 of theencoder-decoder module 50. The restraint deployment signal can be aprecisely defined signal that is detected or otherwise recognized by thefeed amplifier 58. For example, the feed amplifier 58 may “look” for therestraint deployment signal and/or be generally tuned or configured torespond the restraint deployment signal such that signals that do notfit the criteria of the restraint deployment signal can be excluded bythe feed amplifier 58. Signals that do not fit the criteria of therestraint deployment signal can arise from extraneous noise.Accordingly, the feed amplifier 58 may be referred to as a triggercircuit for the restraint deployment signal. The encoder-decoder module50 can in turn output a precisely defined signal in response to therestraint deployment signal that is received from the restraint controlmodule 46. The precisely defined signal output by the encoder-decodermodule 50 can be detected or otherwise recognized by the deploymentsignal amplifier 82 in the rail-mounted component control module 54.Similar to the feed amplifier 58, the deployment signal amplifier 82 may“look” for the precisely defined signal output by the encoder-decodermodule 50 and/or be generally tuned or configured to respond to theprecisely defined signal output by the encoder-decoder module 50 suchthat signals that do not fit the criteria of the precisely definedsignal output by the encoder-decoder module 50 can be excluded by thedeployment signal amplifier 82. As with the feed amplifier 58, thesignals that do not fit the criteria of the precisely defined signaloutput by the encoder-decoder module 50 and ultimately recognized by thedeployment signal amplifier 82 can arise from extraneous noise.Accordingly, the deployment signal amplifier 82 may be referred to as atrigger circuit for the precisely defined signal output by theencoder-decoder module 50.

Referring yet again to FIG. 19 , the drain resistor 534 can provide aknown termination resistance that can be measured or otherwise monitoredby each of the rail-mounted component control module 54 that is coupledto the given encoder-decoder module 50. When the rail-mounted componentcontrol module(s) 54 reference the drain resistor 534 and confirm theknown termination resistance is as-expected, then the rail-mountedcomponent control module(s) 54 are able to confirm electrical integrityof the circuits that communicate the restraint deployment signal. Forexample, each rail-mounted component control module 54 can periodicallyconfirm the presence of the known termination resistance provided by thedrain resistor 534. Upon confirmation that the measure resistance iswithin a predetermined range that corresponds to the drain resistor 534,then the rail-mounted component control module 54 can confirm itsability to receive a deployment command in the form of the restraintdeployment signal. However, in the event that the measure resistancefalls outside of the predetermined range that corresponds to the drainresistor 534, then the rail-mounted component control module 54 candetect the fault condition and request a warning via the secondperipheral sensor interface 570 feedback path to the encoder-decodermodule 50 and ultimately to the restraint control module 46 and theuser. When the encoder-decoder module 50 receives indication of thefault condition from the rail-mounted component control module 54, thenthe encoder-decoder module 50 can adjust the resistance of thepotentiometer 70 such that the restraint control module 50 can registerthe fault condition and notify a user of the fault, such as with a faultindication (e.g., illuminated icon). The paths provided by the drainresistor 534, the first peripheral sensor interface 538, and the secondperipheral sensor interface 570 can provide closed-loop diagnosticsbetween the encoder-decoder module 50 and the rail-mounted componentcontrol module 54. Similarly, diagnostics within the restraint controlmodule 46 and the adjustable load of the potentiometer in theencoder-decoder module 50 can provide closed-loop diagnostics betweenthe restraint control module 46 and the encoder-decoder module 54.

Referring still further to FIG. 19 , a response of the restraintmonitoring system 38 as a result of a detected impact or a detectedimminent impact will now be discussed according to one specific example.One or more of the one or more impact sensors 514 determine, sense, orotherwise detect that an impact has occurred or that an impact isimminent that warrants deployment of one or more of the restraints 42.Alternatively, the restraint control module 46 can interpret orotherwise analyze the signals provided by the one or more impact sensors514 and determine is the impact or the imminent impact meets thecriteria for deployment of one or more of the restraints 42. Regardless,the restraint control module 46 receives the impact signals from the oneor more impact sensors 514 and can communicate the restraint deploymentsignal to the feed amplifier 58 of the encoder-decoder module 50. Thefeed amplifier 58 then communicates the restraint deployment signal tothe encoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 where the encoder-decodermodule microcontroller 66 can encode or otherwise categorize therestraint deployment signal as a high-priority communication signal. Theencoder-decoder module microcontroller 66 can then communicate thehigh-priority restraint deployment signal to the first field effecttransistor 526 and/or the second field effect transistor 530, which inturn communicate the high-priority restraint deployment signal along oneor more of the rail assemblies 98 and/or track assemblies 194. Invarious examples, the first and second field effect transistors 526, 530can produce a differential voltage on the track assemblies 194 that canbe recognized or otherwise received by the rail-mounted components 34and the rail-mounted component control module 54. The differentialvoltage may be referred to as a differential pulse and can bedistinguishable or different than a pulse, such as a single-ended pulse,that might be produced, for example, by a short to ground or a short toa battery or power source. For example, one of the first and secondfield effect transistors 526, 530 can produce a high voltage relative tothe other of the first and second field effect transistors 526, 530while the other of the first and second field effect transistors 526,530 produces a low voltage or lower voltage than the high voltage. Thesediffering or differential voltages provide the pulse to the trackassemblies 194 or the rail assemblies 98 that is recognized by therail-mounted component 34 and/or the rail-mounted component controlmodule 54. For example, the differential pulse may be defined by thedifference between the voltages of the first and second field effecttransistors 526, 530 rather than utilizing a ground reference point. Thedifferential voltage or pulse can then be utilized to ultimatelycommunicate the restraint deployment signal to the rail-mountedcomponent control module 54. In one specific example, the first fieldeffect transistor 526 and/or the second field effect transistor 530 canbe N-channel field effect transistors. The high-priority restraintdeployment signal can be read or otherwise picked-up by the rail-mountedcomponents 34 that are present in the vehicle 30. The high-priorityrestraint deployment signal can be communicated to the rail-mountedcomponent control modules 54 by the interaction of the carriage databrush assemblies 342 with the carriage data conductors 234. Thehigh-priority restraint deployment signal can be communicated along theinput conduit 586 of the rail-mounted component control module 54. Thehigh-priority restraint deployment signal can then travel to or becommunicated to the deployment signal amplifier 82. From the deploymentsignal amplifier 82, the high-priority restraint deployment signal canbe communicated to the rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller 518. The rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller 518 can receive the high-priority restraint deploymentsignal at the logic gate 598. The logic gate 598 is also coupled to theoccupancy sensor 522. Accordingly, the high-priority restraintdeployment signal may be communicated to each of the rail-mountedcomponents 34 within the vehicle 30 and only those rail-mountedcomponents 34 that are deemed occupied may proceed with restraintdeployment. Once the rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller 518 has determined the rail-mounted component 34 isoccupied and the high-priority restraint deployment signal has beenreceived, the high-priority restraint deployment signal can becommunicated to the deployment-diagnostic module 566. Thedeployment-diagnostic module 566 can then communicate the high-priorityrestraint deployment signal to the one or more restraints 42 of theoccupied rail-mounted component 34. Finally, the one or more restraints42 receive the high-priority restraint deployment signal and initiatedeployment of the restraint(s) 42. The deployment-diagnostic module 566can be provided with diagnostic circuitry that is responsible formonitoring the diagnostic state or diagnostic health of the restraints42 that are associated with the given deployment-diagnostic module 566.Additionally, the deployment-diagnostic module 566 can provide theoutput stages or the final steps in the restraint deployment loop (e.g.,the final conveyance of the restraint deployment signal). For example,the deployment-diagnostic module 566 can provide the deployment pulse ordeployment energy that initiates the deployment of the one or morerestraints 42 that are associated with the given deployment-diagnosticmodule 566.

In some examples, vehicles are provided with rails or rail assembliesthat allow for macro or micro adjustments of seating assemblies that aremounted to the rails or rail assemblies. However, the present disclosureprovides an improved track assembly 194 with a rail assembly 98 that isslot-less. The term slot-less is intended to refer to the absence of aslot in one or more sides of the rail assembly 98 that permits access toan interior of the rail assembly 98. Said another way, the rail assembly98 is slot-less in that a user cannot access the interior aperture 206from the top side 210, the first lateral side 214, the second lateralside 218 or the bottom side 242 when the rail assembly 98 is mounted tothe vehicle 30. Accordingly, the interior components of the trackassembly 194 that are provided in the interior aperture 206 areprotected from debris, cargo items, and undesirable intrusion by a user(e.g., a finger of a user, a heal of a user's dress shoe, etc.) that cancause damage to the track assembly 194 and/or injury to the user.Therefore, the track assembly 194 of the present disclosure provides arobust solution to actuation of the rail-mounted components 34 that iswell-suited for automated environments. The track assembly 194 can beoriented in various directions within the vehicle 30 (e.g.,longitudinally, laterally, angularly, and/or diagonally). Additionally,the track assembly 194 can be arranged in a network such that therail-mounted components 34 can traverse the cabin 90 in a variety ofdirections rather than a binary actuation in fore-aft or side-to-sidedirections. Instead, it is within the scope of the present disclosurefor the rail-mounted components 34 to be able to transition betweentrack assemblies 194 that are arranged at angles to one another (e.g.,from longitudinal to lateral, from lateral to longitudinal, fromlongitudinal to angular, from angular to longitudinal, from lateral toangular, from angular to lateral, and so on).

Modifications of the disclosure will occur to those skilled in the artand to those who make or use the concepts disclosed herein. Therefore,it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings anddescribed above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended tolimit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the followingclaims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law,including the doctrine of equivalents.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art thatconstruction of the described concepts, and other components, is notlimited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of theconcepts disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety ofmaterials, unless described otherwise herein.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of itsforms: couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining oftwo components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical ormechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the twocomponents. Such joining may be permanent in nature, or may be removableor releasable in nature, unless otherwise stated.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement ofthe elements of the disclosure, as shown in the exemplary embodiments,is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the presentinnovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, thoseskilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes,dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements,values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example,elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multipleparts, or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, theoperation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, thelength or width of the structures and/or members or connector or otherelements of the system may be varied, and the nature or numeral ofadjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. Itshould be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may beconstructed from any of a wide variety of materials that providesufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors,textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present innovations.Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be madein the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the desired andother exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of thepresent innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes, or steps withindescribed processes, may be combined with other disclosed processes orsteps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. Theexemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrativepurposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can bemade on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing fromthe concepts of the present disclosure, and further, it is to beunderstood that such concepts are intended to be covered by thefollowing claims, unless these claims, by their language, expresslystate otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle, comprising: a rail-mounted componenthaving one or more restraints; and a restraint monitoring system, therestraint monitoring system comprising: a restraint control module; anencoder-decoder module; and a rail-mounted component control module,wherein the rail-mounted component control module comprises a restraintdeployment loop and a restraint diagnostic loop, wherein the restraintdeployment loop comprises a deployment signal amplifier and therestraint diagnostic loop comprises a diagnostic signal amplifier, andwherein the deployment signal amplifier and the diagnostic signalamplifier are wired in parallel.
 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein theencoder-decoder module comprises: a feed amplifier; and a returnamplifier.
 3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the encoder-decoder modulecomprises: an encoder-decoder module microcontroller.
 4. The vehicle ofclaim 3, wherein the encoder-decoder module microcontroller communicatesdiagnostic status to the return amplifier.
 5. The vehicle of claim 3,wherein the return amplifier outputs a signal that adjusts a resistancein a potentiometer when a diagnostic issue is indicated by theencoder-decoder module microcontroller.
 6. The vehicle of claim 5,wherein the resistance adjustment in the potentiometer is read by therestraint control module, and wherein the restraint control modulecommunicates the diagnostic issue to a user through a high speed CANbus.
 7. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the encoder-decoder modulemicrocontroller receives restraint deployment signals from the restraintcontrol module and communicates the restraint deployment signals to therail-mounted component control module.
 8. The vehicle of claim 7,wherein the restraint deployment signal communicated to the rail-mountedcomponent control module is received by the deployment signal amplifierof the rail-mounted component control module.
 9. The vehicle of claim 8,wherein the deployment signal amplifier communicates the restraintdeployment signal to a rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller.
 10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the rail-mountedcomponent control module microcontroller references an occupancy sensorto determine if the rail-mounted component is occupied.
 11. The vehicleof claim 10, wherein upon determination by the rail-mounted componentcontrol module microcontroller that the rail-mounted component isoccupied and the restraint deployment signal has been received, therail-mounted component control module microcontroller communicates therestraint deployment signal to the one or more restraints.
 12. Thevehicle of claim 1, wherein the restraint deployment loop and therestraint diagnostic loop are provided with a common return path. 13.The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the common return path of the restraintdeployment loop and the restraint diagnostic loop is coupled to theencoder-decoder module microcontroller.
 14. The vehicle of claim 1,wherein the encoder-decoder module and the rail-mounted componentcontrol module are each positioned downstream of the restraint controlmodule and upstream of the one or more restraints.
 15. The vehicle ofclaim 1, further comprising: a rail assembly that receives therail-mounted component such that the rail-mounted component is slidablycoupled with the rail assembly.
 16. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein theencoder-decoder module and the rail-mounted component control modulewirelessly communicate data signals.
 17. A vehicle, comprising: arail-mounted component having one or more restraints; and a restraintmonitoring system, the restraint monitoring system comprising: arestraint control module; an encoder-decoder module, the encoder-decodermodule comprising: a feed amplifier; a return amplifier; and anencoder-decoder module microcontroller, wherein the encoder-decodermodule microcontroller communicates diagnostic status to the returnamplifier, wherein the return amplifier outputs a signal that adjusts aresistance in a potentiometer when a diagnostic issue is indicated bythe encoder-decoder module microcontroller, wherein the resistanceadjustment in the potentiometer is read by the restraint control module,and wherein the restraint control module communicates the diagnosticissue to a user, and a rail-mounted component control module, whereinthe rail-mounted component control module comprises a restraintdeployment loop and a restraint diagnostic loop, wherein the restraintdeployment loop comprises a deployment signal amplifier and therestraint diagnostic loop comprises a diagnostic signal amplifier, andwherein the deployment signal amplifier and the diagnostic signalamplifier are wired in parallel.
 18. The vehicle of claim 17, whereinthe restraint control module receives an impact signal from one or moreimpact sensors, wherein the restraint control module communicates arestraint deployment signal to the encoder-decoder modulemicrocontroller as a result of receiving the impact signal, and whereinthe encoder-decoder module microcontroller communicates the restraintdeployment signal to the deployment signal amplifier of the rail-mountedcomponent control module.
 19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein thedeployment signal amplifier communicates the restraint deployment signalto a rail-mounted component control module microcontroller.
 20. Thevehicle of claim 19, wherein the rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller references an occupancy sensor to determine if therail-mounted component is occupied, and wherein upon determination bythe rail-mounted component control module microcontroller that therail-mounted component is occupied and the restraint deployment signalhas been received, the rail-mounted component control modulemicrocontroller communicates the restraint deployment signal to the oneor more restraints.